Art

Q: How are you inspired to create the powerful and compelling art you are known for?

A: Many of my works are illustrative collaborations with musicians, authors, publishers, record labels, art directors, patrons, and other colleagues, so the impetus for creation often starts there. The perimeters of the specific project tend to provide the thematic structure and formatting of the image. As with many collective endeavors, the work follows an organic development within the context of a shared goal. Oftentimes, the unique subject being visually brought to life possesses a heritage of its own; an art historical precedent, a lyrical notion, an allegorical nuance, or a mythic narrative of some sort. Taking all this into consideration, the visual work is a culmination of myriad of influences, of which I am merely the guiding hand.
more » “Interview with the Artist Benjamin Vierling”

If you find love, you’re lucky and If you create art, you have given luck to other people. – Zeljko Djurovic

Q: Your paintings are enchanted by coloristic eroticism, which is guided by the deep command of a being who knows that there is a Beautiful?

A: I like that “coloristic eroticism”. When it comes to my works, it is impossible to avoid the story of eroticism. Everything I drew and painted was for the glory of a woman and the adoration of a woman’s body, keeping myself away from banality and vulgarity, looking there for the most beautiful and exciting. I try to include my emotion into the work and convey it to the observer. I have never painted a male figure, except for a few self-portraits. I fulfilled my dream and search for the perfection of a woman using colors, which are often the subject of controversy among art lovers. It provokes either enthusiasm or criticism.
more » “Interview with the Artist Zeljko Djurovic”

Q: How are you inspired to create the powerful and compelling art you are known for?
Do you begin with a theme in mind, or does it emerge while you are working? What inspires your work, the current political conditions, the environment, the books you read, your dreams, or a conversation with a friend… In other words… does your inspiration come more from internal or external sources?

A: I do two types of painting:
In the first case, I paint subjects that have to be painted: stories and dreams that are overflowing into my waking world and demanding representation.
Translating a dream sequence into a still image requires deep introspection vis a vis the dream. When constructing the composition, I am careful to bring in the symbols that best give the message and a composition which best describes the mood of the painting. It is an ongoing process. As I paint a dream, I comprehend it better. I relive it in a sense, but with a much more profound sense of understanding. Other symbols will appear. Colors will be influenced.

For fun, I did a series of ten self-portraits morphed with my Totem animals. Totem animals to me, represent different human characteristics like joyfulness, courage, insight etc… They are represented by animals who I have chosen for various different reasons: either I dreamt about them or I have pulled them consistently from my Medicine card deck (an oracle deck).
more » “Interview with the Artist Liba Waring Stambollion”

Q: How are you inspired to create the powerful and compelling art you are known for?

A: This is a very complex process for me. Often images flash into my brain, details that I know will depict a future painting, an important moment of it. Often these visions are hazy and incomplete, so I consciously work on the details in my head. I shape it in myself until I can clearly see the main character and what I want to communicate through it, using the pieces of detail I’ve seen before in my mind. This can take days or even weeks, depending on the subject of the painting.

I often work on several paintings at once, always picking out what has the strongest emotional motivation for me and what sounds loudest in my mind and heart. These visions don’t disappear until the work is completed. From the first chaos, the thoughts finally clear up and the finished work is outlined. The colors always come so naturally to the given artwork, I just simple know where I have to put them and which one will fit the best to the painting. I feel the colors inside myself. It’s a kind of conversation. They tell me where they belong to.

Q: What inspired the post-editing that turns your models into marionette dolls? more » “Interview with the Artist Vivien Szaniszlo”

There is always something deeply engaging about a well-made mural. It can make for an almost overwhelming artistic experience — something not just large but complex, and able to be viewed in different ways and from different perspective. Perhaps the best way to describe it, in fact, came in an interview we had with sci-fi- and fantasy-inspired surrealist painter Glenn Barr. more » “Finding America’s Best Street Murals”